Posts Tagged ‘individual with ASD’

Autism social skills stories are a pictorial instruction tool used to help teach social skills to kids that have autism.

Autism social skills stories provide the individual with ASD an explanation and visual framework of the skill or situation that they may find difficult or confusing.

Research shows that the Autism social skills stories are an excellent pictorial instruction tool which can be used to help reduce stress and inappropriate behaviours in some children with an ASD.

The autism social skills story also increases social understanding and has been reported as a good approach for helping children with an ASD to reach their full potential.

The goal of a social skills story is to increase the autistic child’s understanding of skills and social situations they are struggling to master and understand. By making the child with an ASD more comfortable with and in the situation, and suggest possible responses they may receive from others.

Social skills stories follow specific sentence types: descriptive, perspective, directive and control. Introduced around twenty years ago as a means of communication Autism social skills stories have grown into a very popular pictorial instruction strategy that can be used with all autistic individuals regardless of age and ability.

Generally autistic social skills stories are written by experts, teachers and parents to help teach social and communication skills to autistic individuals. Autism social skills stories can be edited to suit all needs, personalized, printed and are portable making them convenient and easy to use.

A social skills story can be introduced to help deal with any situation or skill that the autistic child needs help with. No formal training is needed to use social skills stories, site which offer support and expertly written Autism social skills stories can be found using search engines such as Google.

Sites offering Autism social skills stories for kids that have autism like http://www.autismsocialstories.com offer support and downloads of autistic social skills stories for various situations and skills for a small fee.

A social skills story should be visual and use first person text, like a role model the social skills story will help with transitions, and changes to routines as well as teach and support social skills and communication difficulties.

For more information on this visual teaching strategy visit any of the following sites and find Autism social skills stories for children with autism

With an increase in the number of children being diagnosed with ASD, it is now recognized that autism spectrum disorders are more common in children than disorders such as diabetes, spina bifida, or Down syndrome.

All children diagnosed with ASD will have common symptoms of autism; these are known as social skills deficits or the triad of impairments.A child’s social skills deficits are characterized by difficulties in:

Social skills development

Communication both verbal and non-verbal skills

Imagination skills

Interaction skills

These deficits are always present in children with ASD to varying degrees.

In addition to the triad of impairments or social skills deficits children diagnosed with ASD may also display sensory processing issues.

Probably the most noticeable of the symptoms of autism is an individual’s difficulty with social interactions. A child with autism spectrum disorder may have little trouble learning to read but exhibit extremely poor social interaction.

Typically a child with autism spectrum disorder will not follow the normal pattern of development. Generally parents of ASD children may have an idea that there is something not quite right with their child before their child is diagnosed with ASD.

For example from birth, typically developing babies are social beings. Early in life, they gaze at people, turn toward voices, grasp a finger, and even smile. However with ASD children this is not always the case.

Research suggests that although children with ASD are attached to their parents, the attachment is not typical and is difficult to read. For parents of ASD children, their child’s apparent lack of attachment can be upsetting and stressful.

Generally typically developing children have met all their milestones in communication by the age of three, however for most ASD children these milestones may pass un-met. Communication both verbal and non-verbal can prove difficult for ASD children.

Some children with autism spectrum disorder will never develop speech, or speech may be delayed. Generally all individuals on the spectrum are visual thinkers and learners and benefit form visual aids that can help them learn social and communication skills.

For many children with autism spectrum disorder using visual aids that teach social and communication skills such as PECS, visual support cards and social stories are proving very beneficial.

For the vast majority of individuals with autism spectrum disorder social and communication skills teaching needs to be direct. For example making friends, for typically developing children this skill is learnt naturally. For an ASD child this skill does not develop naturally, although some children with autism spectrum disorder may wish to be social they do not know how.

Consequently, many children with autism spectrum disorder social and communication skills teaching is achievable by using visual aids like social stories. Since their development twenty years ago, social stories have grown into probably one of the most significant tools used for teaching and re-enforcing social and communication skills in children with autism and related conditions today.

Social stories are a role model that provide individuals with ASD a visual explanation in the form of a script, much like a step by step visual representation or plan of the skill or situation that he or she may find difficult, stressful or confusing.

Social stories use a specifically defined style and format. The goal of social stories is to describe accurately using first person language and social cues in a clear and reassuring manner that is easily understood by the individual with an ASD.

Giving the individual with ASD accurate information that answers the “wh” questions
(who, where, why, when and what) as well as giving an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others helping them manage and cope with the skill or behavior.

Social stories will help reduce anxieties andstress making them to feel more comfortable with and in the situation.

For more information on social stories for autism and how they can help with autism spectrum disorder social and communication skills teaching visit any of the following sites where you will also gain immediate downloads of appropriate social stories for autism.

ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is a pervasive developmental disorder that affects four times more males than females. Some research suggests autism caused by genetic factors that interfere with normal brain development, or environmental factors, such as the effects of pollution or the damage caused by viruses. However how autism is caused is still under research. Autism Spectrum Disorder is normally detected in children before the age of three and is a life long condition.

No two people are ever the same and this runs true with Autism Spectrum Disorder which affects individuals in various ways. However the characteristics of autism are generally grouped together and called the triad of autistic impairments. Every individual with ASD will have to varying degree’s the triad of autistic impairments.

The triad of autistic impairments means difficulties with three areas of development; social communication, social interaction and imagination skills and behaviours. Probably the most apparent of the characteristics of autism is the way a person’s ability to communicate both verbally and non-verbally with others is affected.

So when considering autism and brain development and how it affects learning it is beneficial to remember all individuals with autism will have marked difficulties with communication both verbal and non-verbal skills.

An Individual with ASD will have difficulties understanding things that we probably take for granted like jokes, metaphors wit and slang, this form of communication may be indecipherable to an individual with ASD. It is suggested that using visual cues such asflash cards and social stories can help overcome this hurdle. You should also try to adapt how you speak, speak less and be more direct, donâ€™t use metaphors or slang and say exactly what you mean.

Therefore with autism and brain development and how it affects learning can be aided using visual cues. An autistic person is far more likely to respond to visual cues like flash cards and social stories rather than written or spoken information or instruction.

One of the primary worries for many parents with autistic children is how their child will learn play autism spectrum disorder affects a person’s ability to use their imagination. This makes play difficult for autistic children and in a lot of instances a child with ASD will simply prefer to line up their toys or arrange them in certain ways rather than play with them.

Many autistic children may also develop ritualistic behaviours and become obsessive about certain things or objects this can take different forms from obsession with a TV character to train timetables.

Generally social skills stories and flash cards can help the child with ASD understand play skills effectively, as well as how to make and maintain friendships.

Social skills stories are short descriptive visual role model of an activity, situation or skill that the child with ASD is struggling to understand, finds stressful or simply can not cope with. The social skills story will also help with transition, and other skills such as hygiene, sharing, taking turns calming down and so on.

A social skills story can be edited and personalized to suit individual children specific needs. Most social stories are visual with images and first person text.

To finds out more about flash cards or social skills stories and how they are to help children with ASD as well as how they affect autism and brain development and how it affects learning visit:

Social stories are short, specifically written stories to help children with autism understand a specific situation, activity or skill.

By describing what happens in a social situation in a concise, accurate and structured manner, that is easily understood by the individual with ASD.

The goal of the social story being to provide the individual with ASD a clear framework of the skill or situation, thus reducing anxieties and stresses, allowing the person with autism to rehearse and practise the skill. The social story also helps the person with autism prepare for a change to routine.

Research suggests that social stories which follow a predefined formula can make a difference in helping an individual with autism understand and improve social and communication skills and behaviours.

A social story should answer the “wh” questions (who, where, why, when and what) using first person text and visual images, showing the individual with autism an acceptable manner of behaviour in a social situation, “without actually having to tell them”.

So do social stories work?

Yes they do, why? By attempting to address the theory of mind, or social skills deficits that all individuals with ASD have.

For many autistic people being able to understand the thoughts and actions of those around them is missing this is due to the theory of mind or social skills deficits. As typically developing beings we are able to “mind read” or predict another persons mood, thoughts, feelings and emotions by simply reading their facial expression, body language and tone of voice or suggestions. With the ASD individual this natural ability is missing.

A social story can help an individual with ASD understand the thoughts and emotions of the people that they may interact with.

By using visual images a social story can be better understood, as generally most autistic people are visual thinkers and learners. The social story is set out in much the same manner as a comic strip conversation, making it easier for the ASD individual to follow.

A social story should be written in first person language and always from the point of view of the autistic individual.

Research shows us that children with autism do respond well to social stories, thus many parents, care givers and teachers use social stories regularly to help improve and encourage positive social and communication skills.

Social stories are a common strategy used when dealing with autistic behaviour issues, the social story can help the individual with ASD to ‘read’ and understanda social situation, activity or skill.

Social stories were first developed by Carol Gray around twenty years ago to help her communicate with the autistic children she was working with.

Social stories seek to include answers to the “wh” questions (who, what, when, where, and why) that the individual with ASD may need to know to allow them to master the situation, activity or skill they are struggling with, or may struggle with if the story is being used to help with a change to routine for example.

Social stories are used effectively for many situations, activities and skills not just how to interact and communicate in social settings. They can be used to learn new skills, to rehearse changes to routines, activities, and how to respond appropriately to feelings like anger and frustration.

Social stories that help with autistic behavior issues can be downloaded from sites such as: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior where you can find 65 autistic behaviour social stories ready for immediate download as well as information on what are social stories?

Social stories are short descriptive, visual frameworks that are written to help children with autism to understand a skill or behaviour that they would otherwise struggle with or find stressful or confusing.

Much like a comic strip conversation the social story is written in first person text and follows a specific formula, which enables the autistic individual to prepare for and rehearse. Generally all individuals with autism are visual thinkers and learners, making visual information easier to understand. Social stories embrace this concept as they are normally visually rich, with appropriate text.

Many parents, teachers and other professionals that work with autistic children use social stories that help with autistic behavior issues such as stimming, hygiene issues, sharing, teasing even recess.

“Everyday”, “normal” hygiene routines for the majority of us come naturally. As typically developing individuals we have been programmed to watch, listen and learn from those around us and this is how we pick up on our hygiene routines.

For individuals on the spectrum this ability to watch, listen and learn is missing, autistic individuals are less likely to learn everyday, normal hygiene routines from watching others and in most cases will need direct teaching of these skills.

This can be done through the use of visual supports for autism and related conditions, we know autistic individuals are visual thinkers and learners, thus using visual supports for autism makes good sense. An individuals on the spectrum are far more likely to understand and follow a visual prompt than a written prompt or oral.

There are many visual support aids for autism available but probably the most significant of these are social skills stories. These were introduced around twenty years ago specifically for children with autism and related conditions, to help them communicate and understand skills and behaviours that they were struggling to master.

Deficits in social and communication skills are common to autism and using social skills stories has been proven affective. Many parents, teachers and other professionals use visual support aids for autism to help them teach and re-enforce skills and behaviours, for example hygiene routines like, brushing teeth, washing hair, getting a hair cut and so on.

Social stories are short, visual descriptive plans of a skill or behaviour, much like a comic strip. Social stories break the skill down into small visual steps, describing and showing the “wh” questions (who, where, what, when and why). Helping the individual with ASD understand what is expected of them, and in return what they can expect from others.

Making the individual with ASD feel more comfortable with and in the situation, which in turn can eliminate much of the stress and confusion they may be feeling.

Social skills stories are used to teach social and communication skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder and related conditions. Developed around twenty years ago by therapist Carol Gray to teach communication skills to the ASD children she was working with.

A social skills story is much like a comic strip conversation, which describes using visual prompts and text the “wh” (who, what, where, why and when) questions for a particular skill or behaviour.

For example social stories are used in situations such as; hygiene issues ~ like tooth brushing, showering etc. with teenagers to help with issues such as puberty, menstruation, making friends and social behaviour and so on.

By showing the social cues or prompts the social skills story can give specific information in a step by step visual plan or framework in a manner that can be easily digested and understood by the individual with ASD.

Social stories provide ASD children, teens and adults information which will help them determine how another person may be feeling their emotions, thoughts and actions helping the ASD individual better react and respond in specific situations.

Social stories are probably one of the most significant tools used to help teach social and communication skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Consequently social skills stories for ASD can now be easily adapted and are generally always visually rich.

By addressing the theory of mind (social skills deficits) presented the ASD individuals, for example social stoires can be used in the home, school, college and almost anywhere where the individual with autism needs help to understand and master a skill or behaviour that they are struggling to deal with.

Hopefully this will answer the ~ what are social skills stories for ASD question, for more information and to download social skills stories for ASD and related conditions visit:http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Other sites offering downloads of social stories for individuals with autism spectrum disorder can be found at:

The autism spectrum disorders are more common in children than some better known disorders such as diabetes, spinal bifida, or Down syndrome.

All children with ASD demonstrate deficits in:

Social skills

Communication both verbal and non-verbal skills

Imagination skills

Interaction skills

These deficits are often referred to as social skills deficits and will be present in children with ASD to varying degrees.

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In addition to these social skills deficits children with ASD may also display sensory processing issues. Each of these autism symptoms will present in each individual child with ASD but will almost certainly differ between children. For example a child with ASD may have little trouble learning to read but exhibit extremely poor social interaction.

Typically children with autism spectrum disorder do not follow the normal pattern of developmentexpected. Generally parents of ASD children may have an idea that there is something not quite right with their child before a diagnosis of autism is given.

From birth, typically developing babies are social beings. Early in life, they gaze at people, turn toward voices, grasp a finger, and even smile. However with ASD children this is not always the case. Research suggests that although children with ASD are attached to their parents, the attachment is not typical and is difficult to read. For parents of ASD children, their child’s apparent lack of attachment can be upsetting and stressful.

Generally typically developing children have met all their milestones in communication by the age of three, however for most ASD children these milestones may pass un-met. Communication is a problem for most ASD children.

Some children that receive a diagnosis of autism will never develop speech. It is not un-common for children with autism spectrum disorder to develop speech late in some instances as late as 9 years of age. For many ASD children using communication aids such as PECS, visual support cards and social stories can help them learn social and communication skills.

For those individuals with autistic spectrum disorder social and communication skills teaching needs to be direct for example making friends, for typically developing children this skill is learnt naturally. For an ASD child this skill does not develop naturally, although some children with autistic spectrum disorder may wish to be social they do not know how.

Therefore children with autistic spectrum disorder social and communication skills teaching can be helped using visual aids such as social stories, many parents, care givers; teachers and other professionals use social stories to great affect. With research showing us that since their development almost twenty years ago, social stories have grown into probably one of the most significant tools used in teaching and re-enforcing social and communication skills and behaviors to children with autism and related conditions.

Social stories are a tool for used for teaching social and communication skills and behaviors to children with autistic spectrum disorder. They provide an individual with ASD visual explanations about situations that he or she may find difficult, stressful or confusing.

Social stories use a specifically defined style and format. The goal of social stories is to describe accurately using first person language and social cues in a clear and reassuring manner that is easily understood by the individual with ASD the situation or skill they are struggling with. Giving the individual with ASD accurate information in a step by step visual plan helping them manage and cope with the skill or behavior helping them to feel more comfortable with and in the situation or with the skill being taught or re-enforced, helping to reduce anxiety, stress and melt downs.

For more information on social stories for autism and how they can help with autistic spectrum disorder social and communication skills teaching visit any of the following sites where you will also gain immediate downloads of appropriate social stories for autism.